“The disappearances are contributing to the atmosphere of fear and hostility in Crimea for anyone who is pro-Ukraine, including Crimean Tatars,” said Yulia Gorbunova, Europe and Central Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The authorities need to investigate all potential leads in these disappearances, including whether paramilitary groups or Russian security forces were behind them”- reads the statement.

“The authorities need to find out what happened to these men,” Gorbunova said. “As one person after another falls out of sight without any resolution of the cases, it sends the message to those responsible that they can continue to act with impunity”- summed up in the statement.

The statement comes as after numerous facts of people’s abductions appeared in Crimea.